Chipmunks (1/2)

This half term Chipmunks and Kangaroos are learning all about Halstead and how it has changed over the last hundred years or so. The children have had great fun looking at old pictures and talking about the similarities and differences between Victorian Halstead and the town as we know it today. Last week we even changed out classroom around to look like a Victorian school room! We are all very much looking forward to our visit to Colne Valley Railway. Over the next week or so we will be looking at where the train station and railway line were in Halstead, and how people used it.

I wonder if you can guess which bits of Halstead are featured in the pictures below?

Chipmunk Class have been real number crunchers recently! They have been adding 2 digit numbers, adding near multiples, multiplying numbers and comparing numbers using the < and > symbols. They have astounded Mrs Argent with their hard work and perseverance when faced with some rather tricky maths problems. Well done Chipmunks!

Over the last week the children have been planning an alternative version of a story they have been reading and talking about in class. They used their plans to write their stories in Big Write on Thursday. Please see below for just a few examples of their brilliant writing. Well done to all the Chipmunks. You all worked very hard, striving to achieve your writing targets. Choosing the Goal Scorers was particularly tricky this week!

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During topic time this week we have been naming human and animal body parts and talking about their similarities and differences.

Our literacy lessons have focused on stories from other cultures over the last couple of weeks. The children have learned all about dragons (particularly Chinese dragons). During Big Write on Thursday the children worked together to create a class story about a dragon. They used these ideas to produce some fantastic writing. Please see below for this week's Big Write Goal Scorers...

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A very Happy New Year to you all. We hope you had a lovely Christmas break.
Chipmunk class have made a great start to 2015 and are already enjoying their new topic...

All Creatures Great and Small

The children have been learning about living and non-living things and what makes an animal a mammal, reptile, bird, or insect. They enjoyed the forest trail game. Click on the picture link to play at home too.

This half term our topic is 'Festival of Lights'

Wednesday 10th December 2014

Hello everyone! Chipmunk Class are learning about poetry today and we're updating this page as we learn...literally! We have just listened to a poem called 'Walking With my Iguana' by Brian Moses. Please click on the link below to listen at home:

Libby said she thought the steady beat in the poem was used because it sounds like somebody walking. Kevin and Aaron really liked the beat too. Kayley and Abi liked all the different animals at the end because the poet says them in a different voice. Mateusz also loves the way the poet's voice changes throughout the poem. Ewan liked the part when the iguana was mistaken for an alligator and someone called the police!

During our group activities the children worked on a poem called Jump or Jiggle by Evelyn Blower. The children were great at finding alternative rhyming words and spotting spelling patterns. One group even gave us a performance of the poem with actions! Well done everyone, you all deserve your class star!

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Nativity rehearsals are well under way in KS1. The children have worked hard to learn their lines and all of the words to the songs. They are all very excited, and keen to do their very best for their family and friends!

In maths this week Chipmunk Class have been naming and describing 2D shapes. The children have learned about polygons, regular and irregular shapes. They went on a shape hunt around school, naming and drawing shapes they saw and taking photographs of them. Kayleigh even spotted a tiny semi-circle in the middle of the water fountain (half of the screw that holds it together!)

The children produced some lovely writing again in Big Write this week. They took their inspiration from a video clip, 'Underwater Tale'. If you would like to see it, please click on the following link: http://vimeo.com/7741770. Please also see examples of writing from our Big Write Goal Scorers below. Well done to all the Chipmunks. Their enthusiasm is infectious!

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The Chipmunks have been busy enjoying their learning. The have learned about the Hindu festival of Diwali. This, along with a visit from the 'Mad Scientist', inspired the children to investigate light sources. The children have made beautiful Diwali lights of their own. We lit these during our Big Write this week as they retold the story of Rama and Sita. They also listened to some beautiful sitar music.
Please see below for this week's Big Write goal scorers. Well done Chipmunks. You produced yet more fabulous writing and you continue to make Mrs Argent incredibly proud!

As promised, I have added the link for our Diwali dance. I know that some Chipmunks were very keen to practise at home and involve their friends and family. We were very impressed with their moves!

All of the children in KS1 and Early Years came together for their first rehearsal for our Christmas Nativity this week. They were very excited and made a great start, impressing all of their teachers. We will continue to practise the nativity songs in Chipmunk Class. If you would like to help the children to learn the words by practising at home, please go to our home page, click on 'Children' and then 'Gallery'. Scroll down to the bottom and you will find our nativity songs. Please note however that the songs cannot be played through an iPad or mobile phone.

We look forward to making, tasting and evaluating our Mango Lassi drink in design and technology. What a lovely way to end the week!

This week we have been looking at fantasy stories. The children really enjoyed John Burningham's Oi! Get off our Train! We have also read The Magic Bed and Avocado Baby. We finished the week with a Big Write. The children wrote about their own adventures and produced some fantastic work. Well done Chipmunks, you did yourselves proud and really deserved those two class stars! Please see below for our goal scorers.